When I was going to school after losing my job, I received an 'F' in my Intro to Psychology class. The kindly professor told me that the reason I couldn't get it was because I was trying to understand it 'by rote'. So he told me just to read the text and then go over it with glances. I was the only one in the 60 student class that received a perfect score on the next exam. I think the study of aikido is the same way; just go to class and absorb the lessons and the atmosphere of practice.